As perhaps the slowest skater in NHL history, Brad Marsh laughs when revealing his strongest connection with Calgary now comes via speed skating.

Two of his four children are heavily involved in the sport, including 17-year-old Patrick, who attends the U of C where he skates in the Oval program.

"A lot of people have had a few chuckles over it," said the lumbering defenceman who became the Calgary Flames' first captain when he arrived via Atlanta.

"They saw it at the Olympics on TV and they wanted to try it. Ironically, I'm the president of the Ottawa Pacers speed-skating club."

A fan favourite wherever he played over the course of his 15-year career, the man who looked like he was skating in snowshoes has the dubious distinction of being the lowest- scoring NHLer ever to play 1,000 games. Scoring just 23 times, the blueliner, who was all heart and effort, was named Ottawa's representative to the all-star game in his final year, 1993. So well-liked and respected by the players in the showcase matchup, they let him score. And while he cites his career highlight as the two times his Flyers made it to the Stanley Cup final, the 47-year-old fondly remembers his year-and-a-half in Cowtown where he cherished beating Chicago and upsetting Philadelphia to get to the semis in 1981.

"When we showed up there, it was very refreshing to be back in a Canadian environment," said Marsh, who owns and operates two Marshy's BBQ and Grill bars, including one attached to the Corel Centre.

"Atlanta was a good place to play but you were kind of a nobody in town. Playing in the OK Corral, there were knowledgeable fans in a town where they embraced you and you were the No. 1 sport."

Marsh adopted Calgary's 3-on-3 pond hockey concept and used it to raise money for Ottawa charities the last four years.